Top 5 Challenges of Social CRM

One of the biggest challenges in social CRM is the speed at which new technology, communication channels, and customers adapt to each other. Social CRM is a major shift in the way companies perceive and interact with customers. Monitoring technology can’t always keep up with changes and additions to social media platforms, and you can’t always predict customer adoption and use patterns of new social media channels.

Integrating social CRM into your organization requires flexibility as both businesses and customers adjust and adapt to the social CRM process. Here, you will see some of the most common challenges you may face. There are strategies for preparing for and overcoming these challenges.

Here are the top five challenges of social CRM:

Creating a company-wide shift to customer centricity. If your organization isn’t used to focusing on customers, adjusting to social CRM can take some time. This is especially true for larger companies.

Accepting that reaping the benefits of social CRM requires patience. It’s easy to get excited about new processes to help grow your business. Keep in mind that as with most things, social CRM isn’t a quick fix. It takes time to collect data, train employees, and help customers adjust to a new way of interacting with your organization. Have faith that you’ll see the benefits of social CRM soon.

Sifting through the overload of information generated in social media. Social CRM provides more data than most organizations could ever want or need, and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Knowledge is power, but only if you can easily access it and know what to do with it. Determining what’s valuable enough to add to a social CRM system and what you can ignore presents a challenge.

Meeting customers in media that your company doesn’t own. Most executives have to adjust their thinking to adjust to utilizing communication channels outside of their company’s own online real estate. Company websites and toll-free numbers are safer, but that isn’t necessarily where your customers are. They’re using Facebook, Twitter, and whatever the next social media technology may be. To be successful, you need to go where the customers are.

Adjusting brand-speak to actual conversations. Customers don’t respond well to industry and company jargon. Many brands struggle to speak to customers in a language that customers understand, but corporate speak won’t fly on Facebook. A conversational tone is key when you’re communicating through social media, where customers also chat with their friends.